Welcome to Louisiana Lefty, a podcast about politics and community in Louisiana, where we make the case that the health of the state requires a strong progressive movement fueled by the critical work of organizing on the ground. Our goal is to democratize information, demystify party politics, and empower you to join the mission, because victory for Louisiana requires you.
On this week's episode, I speak with Frederick Bell, who founded Louisiana High School Democrats in 2014, and has since worked as an organizer on multiple campaigns, including Jamie Harrison's historic run for US Senate. Currently, he lives in Louisiana, but works as a campaign associate for the Democracy Program at the Hub Project, which is based in Washington, DC.
Frederick Bell! Thank you for joining me on Louisiana Lefty today.
It's so good to be here, Lynda. Thank you for inviting me. It's such an honor to be a part of this. I'm proud of you for what you've been doing. And excited to be here. So let's get started.
Well, I appreciate it. And I always start with how I met my guest. So I know we met when you were working with Louisiana High School Democrats, is that correct?
That is correct. Back in 2014, I founded and started the Louisiana High School Democrats as a part of the National High School Democrats, and I just started showing up to different political events, and you being who you are, you know, you were there. And we just connected. So I remember also, we were at a fundraiser for my mentor, Christopher Tyson, back in 2015, when he ran for Secretary of State. So we've been through it.
I remember that! Well, what got you interested in politics initially?
I'm interested in politics because I'm interested in people. And I think it all began around high school, my freshman year. You know, President Obama was running for reelection. And I really got engaged during that. I hadn't been paying attention the four years prior, you know, his first term. After he won, I started to run for offices at my high school, my new high school, I ran for class president, and won by one vote. And I think that's when I got bit by the political bug, and then found out about the High School Democrats. Well, I wanted to start with Louisiana, because we didn't have one here. And, and I knew that there were a lot of young people who wanted to be involved and just needed an outlet to do that. And that's why I founded High School Democrats.
So how easy was it for you to get people engaged with you when you started that journey for High School Democrats?
It was tough at first, because I was I went to a small high school. I had about 20 classmates in my in my class at a school of about 400 people, K through 12. So it was tough, but I was lucky, I was selected to participate in two sort of statewide initiatives. First was the Louisiana Legislative Youth Advisory Council. And that brought in students from all over the state, and Teen Court, which was a pre-trial diversionary program. And I was able to connect with people from all over. And that's how I was able to pull some people in to help me out with High School Democrats and got a board started, got connected with the state party, and we've been operating ever since.
Where are you from originally, Frederick?
Originally from Greensburg, Louisiana, in St. Helena Parish. Moved to the Lake Charles, Louisiana area when my mother found works there, and then moved back to the Baton Rouge area in 2012. And now I'm living in New Orleans.
Very good. So High School Democrats, I don't want to come away from there just yet. That's still functioning? There's still people doing High School Democratic organizing?
Yes, yes. We have hundreds of chapters all across the state now. You have a board and young folks are still doing it.
If someone wanted to plug into that, what's the best way for someone to find it?
Yes, if you Google Louisana High School Democrats, the website should come up. You can find them on Instagram and Twitter and on Facebook as well.
Very good. What were your next steps in politics?
Right. So after high school, I got lucky, because I became a delegate in 2016. I graduated in 2016 from high school, this election was happening with Hillary Clinton, and applied to be a delegate. Didn't win in the first process, which I think they go by congressional districts, and then I decided to apply to become an alternate, with the Democratic State Central Committee building on the delegates. So that's how I found my way in, you know. I think there were five spots for the men. I came in fourth place, beat out State Representative Ted James. I think he came in fifth place. So I had no idea what this all meant, but I did know that I was going to get a chance to go to Philadelphia. Had to come out of my own pocket to pay for it. But I wouldn't be on the floor necessarily. And then, you know, fast forward a couple weeks, I got a call from the executive director at the time, Stephen Handwerk, who told me that Walt Leger, the state representative and Speaker Pro Tempore at the time, whose wife was expecting a baby, he wasn't gonna be able to go. So I got bumped up to a full delegate status. And that helped my fundraising for that, and I got a chance to go to Philly.
You fundraised via GoFundMe...
I did fundraise via GoFundMe. Yes. And you donated. I remember that. So thank you.
Of course!
So after that, went to went to college and was still involved with College Democrats, and volunteering on local, state and national campaigns, or wherever I could, and wherever I found the time, and now here we are.
Did you work on Jaime Harrison's campaign? Do I remember that correctly?
Yes, yes. I did work on Jamie Harrison's campaign, it was actually my first job out of college. I graduated from Tulane in May of 2020, the pandemic class. I was lucky, I applied for a job through Jaime Harrison's website, to be a field organizer, got a call a few days later, saying they wanted to interview me. I was interviewed, and I started the job in late June, as a field organizer. I thought I'd have to be in South Carolina for the start of my job, so I hopped in my car, I drove there, and made a stop in Atlanta. And I got a call from someone because I had been emailing people asking, "Where do I go?" I had a cousin in Greenville, South Carolina, so I'll just go stay with her until I figure out exactly where I need to be. But I made a stop in Atlanta, and I got a call from someone at the on the campaign saying, "Hey, listen, this is virtual." So I just drove six hours from Louisiana to Atlanta and realizing that, "Okay, I don't need to be in South Carolina." So I end up staying in Atlanta for a couple of weeks with some friends, and then came back and just worked on the on the campaign virtually.
Nice. So you stayed involved since High School Democrats, you stayed involved in College Democrats, and I told you I wanted to ask you this question, and that I didn't expect you to have all the answers. I'm asking for this, from your perspective, because I think we each share a piece of the puzzle. And I think we'll have other young Democrats on the program. But I'd like to know, from your perspective, what do you see as the issues that animate young voters?
I think young voters are really worried about the future. They're worried about, if they're going to be able to have the same kind of financial stability that their parents had and the generation before them, and they want to know that their government is going to meet their needs. And I think, you know, the sort of old ways of thinking about how government should work have been thrown out of the window, and people are demanding more, and there's a debate about what the role of government should be in our lives, but I think most people it's just, if folks are struggling, government should be there to not, you know, be a handout but a hand up. And that's what at least folks of my generation are talking about, when they're when they're saying this is what we should be supporting. And here are the people we should be supporting, who are sort of pushing these values forward. That's what I think animates young people. And it's going to be all about how we communicate that to them, if we want to get them out for an election.
So the issues that animate them, you're saying are concerns about the future and government working, would it be correct to say, then climate change is a big issue, student debt is a big issue? Are those issues that get people involved in politics? Or are they not the sexy enough issues?
I think for the really politically engaged, climate change is definitely a big issue, a big motivator. And for those of us here in Louisiana, all we have to do is show people what's happening. I think a big part of this is storytelling. That's what campaigns should be about. So we have to show people what's happening when we are not caring about our environment. You have to show people what's happening when folks are having to take out tons of loans for college, like I did. I had to take out loans for college. Because that's what we're told to do. Right? That's what we're told has to happen in order for us to be successful. So there was a lot of pressure and for a lot of young people, like myself, we had trouble navigating what's the right thing to do. I mean, I found out I owed back a loan I had no idea I took out my freshman year of college, right? And I'm like, "Oh." You know, you're just trying to get in and figure out classes, and where are you going to live, and you're just signing whatever you can to just afford all billables. So there needs to be more transparency in that process, but I think we're seeing the effects of that. And that's why, like I said earlier, people are worried about financial stability, and being able to pay down their debt, pay back their loans, and buy a house, start a family. And in all of that, make sure that there's a planet for them to do all that on, and an environment that's healthy for them and their families.
In your experience, when you've been working with other young people involved in politics, or people who are interested in politics, in your experience, what gets them engaged in campaigns? Is it just the candidates personality? Is it being on campus and meeting them where they are? I guess that's sort of what I'm asking.
I think personality plays a big part of it. And maybe it shouldn't. But, you know, I think people are really drawn in by other people. And I think those of us who can communicate the issue well enough, the messenger matters. So, for me, young people who have been involved, getting them involved, the tactics, that that requires, hopefully means making it real for them, right? How does it relate to their everyday lives? And you know, people are worried about a lot of things, stressed about a lot of things. Why are they stressed, right? And we have to connect it to a policy point to them, and find a way to condense it. And I know we said we want to talk about the Carville interview. But that's what he was alluding to a little bit right, the language that we use matters for talking to everyday people. And we have to be able to convey it in a way that makes sense. And not in the way that we think is intellectual.
Why do you think we don't see enough young people voting to move the needle for Democrats, or even more importantly, I think for progressive candidates? Those young voters are really the voters that could change the course of elections. Ideas on that?
Right. I think Obama talked a lot about this when he was running: don't believe the cynics. And I think people have become so cynical with government. You can't blame them sometimes because of the gridlock and polarization, not much is getting done and people are having a hard time seeing that. So I think in President Biden's first 100 days, that's why it's so important that he's been so responsive to the needs of people, but we shouldn't rely on a global pandemic, where It's already kind of tough getting everyone to get on the same page about what the relief should be. But we knew it needed to happen. But still it was tough getting everyone on the same page. So when there are other times, where there's not sort of this collective need to respond to a common problem, then, not much happens. And that's where people get frustrated and they don't even want to participate, they get cynical. And the problem with that is, what I often tell people, "Yes, government has often failed us, but it's not getting any better by us just sitting out." It's like a muscle, we have to exercise it, right, we're not going to go to the gym and exercise for a few minutes and walk out looking how we want to look. We have to keep at it. And that's exactly what government is. And that's why I've been so passionate about staying involved, and trying to help people to stay involved in the areas that matter.
Do you consider running for office yourself?
I've thought about it. I mean, I have run for office, not you know, any official position, but definitely, like I said, I ran for class president in high school, and for a few other office when I was in school. I ran for student body president in high school, won that, ran for it in college, didn't win that. But you know, I definitely care about those who are running for office, and looking for good people to run and support them whenever I can. Because I think that matters for every position, no matter how small, because they're there for a reason. Politics affects every area of your life. I don't care what it is, every area of your life. So why would you want to cede that power to anybody else? Why would you want to give that decision making power to anyone else? Make sure you're involved. Make sure you show up.
I'm I'm here for that. Do you like campaigning?
Yes, and No. When I was working for Jaime Harrison, virtually, that was a lot of fun. But I spent pretty much eight hours a day calling people trying to get them to sign up to volunteer, and then confirm their shifts if they did sign up for something, just to make calls for the campaign. And that was really important work, but really tedious. And I think some people like it. That's for some people, it just wasn't for me necessarily. I had got my start just going door to door, talking to people on their porches. And that was real relationship building for me. I really liked that, I really learned a lot during that process. So I do like that. I like being with a candidate. I've staffed a couple candidates, and seeing how they operate, seeing how they work, seeing how to connect with people, hearing people's fears and hopes and dreams. All of that is really, really exciting and fun for me to experience. When you win elections, it's a lot of fun. I recently went through a loss, a lot of us did, and that's not fun. But I think when you fight for something you believe in, you can hold your head high, knowing that you did what you thought was right.
You worked for Action New Orleans, was that governor Edwards re election year?
Yes, I did work for Action New Orleans in the fall of 2019. I was a fellow, knocking doors and trying to get out the vote for some ballot initiatives and for Governor Edwards. Action New Orleans, if folks don't know, is Mayor LaToya Cantrell's nonprofit political action committee to support some of the initiatives that she cares about, that she finds important for that for the city. So I was recruited to be a part of that. And that was a fun time.
So we named check you on a previous podcast when Representative Mandie Landry was on. She mentioned, it was in the context of her talking about how she approaches knocking doors when she's campaigning for herself, that she'd had a conversation with you where you talked about is very different for you. Can you tell us a little bit about that? How knocking doors is different? And you've heard the podcast so I know you know how she framed it. So I'm just curious to know, in the context of that, can you talk to us a little bit about what knocking doors is like for you?
Yes, Mandie and I did speak about that. I hadn't really thought about it too deeply, until this new space that we're in, you know, nationally, with the Black Lives Matter movement, and seeing how people are interacting with Black bodies. I was a young kid, when I started going door to door, I hadn't really thought about how dangerous it could be. And that's how I was innocent. But now I sort of approach it with a new frame of mind. And knowing that when I knock on a door, there can be anything on the other side. So I remember one time I knocked on a door, and there was a sign on it, a little yellow triangle that said: if you can read this, you are within my crosshairs and had a picture of a rifle on it. I quickly went away. There have been times where, you know, people slam the door in my face. And that's fine. I'm not sure you know what it's for, like you mentioned, when people open the door, most times they want to be polite. But you never know, especially in certain parts of the Deep South, it can be really dangerous. So I knock, I take a step back, not just for the COVID precautions, you wear a mask and try to give people space, but that's an important way just to make sure you are enough feet away, in order to give yourself the space necessary to make sure you're protected. And I'm constantly doing that, constantly making sure people don't view me as a threat when I'm just there to talk about the future and whatever campaign I'm working for.
Are people generally happy to see you when you knock on their door, if they answer their door?
Yeah, yeah. Typically, people want to talk about whatever I'm there campaigning about, and some folks thank me for being out there. I do appreciate that when people are appreciative of what we're trying to do, because I view this as volunteering, canvassing knocking doors, if you have the time, you have the ability, and you're able to do it, you should do it. Right? Because there are some folks who don't have the time or the ability to get out there and advocate for themselves. So if you if you are privileged with that, I think you should use that privilege to help people, so that's what I'm doing.
You mentioned the Carville interview a little earlier. And we did talk about it before the recording. I thought it was a longer conversation that we should save for another podcast. But you did do an interview with him and you met him through the classroom. Is that correct?
Yes, I did meet him through the classroom, when I was a student at LSU, before I've transferred the Tulane. And out of all the students in there, I'm not sure what his interest was in me, but I got invited to dinner one night after class, and we just talked, he looked really uninteresting the whole entire night, but found out he was actually listening and really engaged. I went to high school in San Gabriel, Louisiana, which is right next to Carville, Louisiana. I told him my full history, you know, where I'm from, where I was born, all that, but he still thinks that I'm from Carville, Louisiana, even though I said I spent four years at high school near there. But that's okay. Carville's a wonderful place St. Gabriel's a wonderful place in Iberville Parish. I encourage folks to check it out. But we did do an interview together. It wasn't Vox-level, as the interview that you're mentioning, but the interview that we did was Race, Water and Oil, which he views as the three main topics that sort of define Louisiana: our race relations, how we interact with the water in the area, and the oil and gas industry. So we just decided to sit down and talk about that and unpack that a little bit. I think he wants to fight for a better Louisiana, as he has been doing. He left to go work for all these folks and work in the White House with President Clinton. But now he's doing this chapter in his life as how to better Louisiana, and he really wants to uplift Black and brown voices, and the issues that are impacting us the most, right? Because when it rains, it floods in the in the Black communities. So many people up and down Mississippi River, in Cancer Alley, is what we call it, are being affected by oil and gas industry. We're not talking enough about that. And so that's what he's focused on. And that's what our interveiw was about.
And you've recorded that as a video, correct?
Yes, that was a video at his home in New Orleans. And that was a really incredible experience. Had a team come out, and I was really nervous. Well, I just sat down, and we just had a conversation.
Oh, that's very cool.
Our good friend, Lamar White, he was there during the interview and sort of directed it, and then uploaded it through the Bayou Brief. And had his whole team make sure that ran smoothly.
I will make sure to link to that, as well, in the podcast notes. So if people are interested in hearing your conversation with James Carville, they'll have that opportunity. Well, is there anything else that you'd like to talk about? About Louisiana politics? Before I get to my final three questions?
Oh, well, you know, I think that I had a conversation with a group of young people a couple weeks ago, that came to this campaign event, and they were talking about leaving the state of Louisiana. I helped start this organization called the LA Youth Platform with my good friend Sarah Procopio at LSU. And it was focused on how we combat out migration of young people in the state of Louisiana, because our future depends on young, bright people here to create the vibrant future that, you know, we see other places, and that we're fleeing to. So I think if we truly want to have an impact on this state, and sort of pay it forward for our parents, the generations before us who don't have the ability just to get up and leave, you know, they have to live here, too, right? So we have a responsibility, I think, to fight for the kind of future that we want, that we deserve. And it can happen here. It just requires hard work. But we have to be willing to do it. So that's what I've been preaching to my generation. Louisiana, despite all of our challenges, we have so much potential, and a lot of low hanging fruit. So it's it's an exciting opportunity, because we can get work done. I'm sure Representative Mandie Landry knows that, you know, serving in the house. There's a lot to be done. But it needs to happen right here, so we can do it. Don't be cynical.
And what are you working on right now? I know you're working with a group? Is it in Washington, DC?
Yes. So right after the Jaime Harrison campaign, I got offered a job at the Hub Project, which is a nonprofit in Washington, DC focused on democracy reform. Our four main pillars are: DC statehood, we view it as one of the biggest civil rights issues of our time. 700,000, mostly Black and brown people who don't have political power, we view that as just pure racism. And DC is larger than two states that are mostly white. So it's like taking away black political power, so we want to see DC become a state, we want to see it become a state with 51 votes in the senate. So that requires the elimination of the filibuster, or at least bypassing the filibuster, which requires a two thirds majority. And right now we have the majority. So we've got to fight for it. We got to make sure we can get some Democrats on our side, that may right now not be on our side, talking to a senator in West Virginia and one in Arizona. And the other two being possibly looking at expanding the Supreme Court and the elimination of the Electoral College. So those are the four things I'm working on as a part of the Democracy Team. We have the Democracy Team and the Economics Team that focuses on, you know, how do we fight for fair tax policies for people, but that's the nonprofit I work with. And it's really, really exciting and meaningful work. Baton Rouge native, Sasha Rhodes, recruited me, she's working there, and so it's good to come there and infect that place with a lot of Louisiana energy. So that's what I'm working on now.
Well, I'm behind all those things you're working on and they're all deserving again of their own podcast. So we've got still a lot of things to discuss moving forward. Is there a way for people to plug in to that work that you're doing?
Yeah, go to the hubproject.org, or go to any one of our campaigns that we're running under democracy umbrella, which is Just Democracies at justdemocracy.us or 51for51.org, and Fix Our Senate, as well. So those are sort of the three campaigns that we're working on to help, you know, repair what we believe is a broken democracy at the moment.
Very good. Frederick, what do you see as the biggest hurdle for progressives in Louisiana?
The biggest hurdle for progressives in Louisiana is going to be apathy. With so many challenges in this state, we see what's happening right now at the state legislature, folks talking about we got to teach the good and bad of slavery, it is so easy to want to just back up and say I'm going somewhere else. So much of what I just talked about with young people generally, we're going to have to fight past that and see, you know, what can be unburdened by what has been, and we just have to have the vision, and the will to see it through some of the most significant civil rights movements or progressive movements in history were not done overnight. And the people who were able to see it through were viewed favorably by history. I think that's what we're gonna need to do to do as progressives in the state of Louisiana. And listen to this podcast, too.
Thank you, Frederick. What do you see as the biggest opportunities for progressives in Louisiana?
The biggest opportunity, I think, is going to be the fact that we have so much potential in this state, like I said, the low hanging fruit. We have the numbers, we just have to engage people, you have to get them plugged in. And I think the other party knows that, not just in Louisiana, but across the country, which is why we're seeing these voting rights bills that are happening. I think about people like Stacey Abrams, you know, there are Stacey Abrams in every state. We have to find them, uplift them, uplift their work, not just individuals, but organizations, and be willing to come together to do that work. But a big part of the work that I do now at the Hub Project is all about coalition building. We have coalitions across the country that are committed to the same work and we try to get on the same page, so, like a hub for doing work that we all care about. So that's what's gonna need to happen in these states in the South, particularly, finding a way to get on the same page and not reinvent the wheel, work collaboratively, and see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Awesome. And Frederick, last question, who's your favorite superhero?
You know, family is really important to me, I've thought about this, you know, growing up, I was a big fan of the Fantastic Four. They were just so cool to me, you know, they represented pretty much every power that you needed to defeat the enemy. But outside of comic books, I'll say my mother, as well, who has worked hard as a single mother to support me and my sister, just to get us through. For both of us to be college graduates now, and both doing really good work, that is a testament to a lot of hard working people around the state and around this country. So people like my mother make me so passionate about this work, because they need help.
Frederick, thank you for doing the show.
Of course.
I just want to say that it's young people like you who are coming up behind us that really give me hope. I'm really glad that you've entered the arena, and that you're working on all the work that you're doing, because that really matters, and what's really gonna take us forward is having a new generation of people come in and do the work. So thank you. Thank you for everything you're doing,
Of course, and thank you, Lynda, for being such a guiding light, North Star. People like you give people like me something to follow and to model for the future. So thank you. It really does mean a lot.
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Thanks to Ben Collinsworth for producing Louisiana Lefty, Jennifer Pack of Black Cat Studios for our Super Lefty artwork, and Thousand $ Car for allowing us to use their swamp pop classic, Security Guard, as our Louisiana Lefty theme song.
